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John C. Wright, 1947

B.A., Denison University
B.S., The Ohio State University
M.S., The Ohio State University

Citation awarded May, 1997

John Wright is recognized for his leadership in the oil and gas industry as well as in community service. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he completed his bachelor’s degree at Denison, and earned both a B.S. in mining and an M.S. in petroleum engineering from the Ohio State University.

Since 1950, John has been associated with the Wiser Oil Company of West Virginia, serving as president from 1961 to 1991, and subsequently as chairman of the board. The oil and gas industry has benefited from his leadership in roles such as president of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association from 1970 1971 and director of the Independent Petroleum Association of America from 1968 to 1985. John also serves as a director and chairman of the board of the Wesbanco Bank in Sistersville.

In the volunteer arena, John has been a director of the West Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges for many years, and has served on the Tyler County Consolidate High School Strategic Curriculum Committee. He is active with his local hospital’s health advisory committee, among other organizations. John is a long-time member of the First Presbyterian Church of Sistersville, where he is an elder and chairman of the board of trustees He is also a member of Denison’s class of 1947 Golden Anniversary reunion committee.

John has received the Texnoki Outstanding Alumnus Award from the Ohio State University, and has been name co-citizen of the year by the Sisterville Area Jaycees. He has held the title of West Virginia Oil and Gas Man of the Year, and in 1988, he received the Kentucky Oil & Gas Association Service Award. A year later he was named to the Ohio Oil & Gas Association Hall of Fame.

Both John’s father, the late Paul H. Wright, and son, Dr. John C. Wright, are Denison alumni, class of 1920 and class of 1974, respectively. John and his wife Becky are also the parents of two other grown children.